The company that produces the drug said Wednesday that it would not market it to people with mild dementia

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A section of a human brain with Alzheimer's disease is on display at the Museum of Neuroanatomy at the University at Buffalo, in Buffalo, New York, Oct. 7, 2003. Eli Lilly and Co, the company behind the once-promising Alzheimer's drug solanezumab, said it was dropping plans to market the drug to patients with mild dementia.

A once-promising drug to treat Alzheimer's did not help patients remember better or think more clearly, prompting the company to drop plans to market it to people with mild dementia, NBC News reported.

The drug, solanezumab, was designed to clear brain-clogging amyloid plaques, which are a main physical symptom of the disease. Eli Lilly and Co, the company that makes the drug, said that patients with early dementia due to Alzheimer's did not get much benefit from it.

The failed drug is considered a terrible blow for Alzheimer’s researchers, patients and their families. While a handful of drugs exist to treat the disease, companies have been hoping for improvement with a new generation of "magic bullet" drugs, like solanezumab.